Blogs

Employment Law

Avoiding Liability Under the Fair Labor Standards Act

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) establishes requirements regarding the compensation of employees working in the private sector and in federal, state, and local government positions. To protect employees, the FLSA also prohibits retaliation by employers against employees who filed a complaint that their rights have been violated. In the past, the FLSA’s anti-retaliation provision…

March 23, 2021

Employment Law

Legal Considerations When Terminating an Employee

Do you have an employee whose performance isn’t cutting it? If so, you will want to read this summary of the considerations and steps to take before terminating an employee. Many employers fire employees without following some basic procedures that take little effort on the part of the employer but can prevent major headaches later.…

March 23, 2021

Employment Law

OSHA Tells Employers: Vaccinated Employees Should Still Wear Face Coverings

Now that COVID-19 vaccines are becoming more widely available in the U.S. and a larger percentage of individuals have been vaccinated, the perception also seems to be growing that employees, now protected against the virus, can just stop wearing their face coverings while in the workplace. Not so, according to Occupational Safety and Health Administration…

February 3, 2021

Employment Law

DOL Explains FLSA Travel Time Payment Rules for Part-Day-Telework Employees

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) weighed in again on the question of employee travel time between home and office, i.e., whether or under what circumstances it is compensable under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for “an employee who chooses to telework for part of the day and work at the office for part…

January 15, 2021

Employment Law

DOL Allows Employers to Electronically Post Required FLSA/FMLA Notices

2020 will undoubtedly be remembered as the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as the year that telework gained widespread acceptance in the U.S. While remote work creates several benefits for employers, it also comes with some challenges. In guidance issued this week, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) took on one of those issues:…

January 8, 2021

Employment Law

DOL Adjusts their View of Telemedicine to Support FMLA Leave

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued guidance clarifying that telemedicine examinations or treatment, which have become increasingly widespread by necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic, may be used by employees as the equivalent of an “in-person visit to a health care provider” for the purpose of establishing a “serious health condition” under the Family…

January 4, 2021

Employment Law

DOL Issues New Tipped Employee Rules under the FLSA

As a Court of Appeals panel in Richmond pointed out recently, employer FLSA obligations are simple enough for employees who receive a traditional hourly wage but get far murkier and more complicated in the restaurant industry, where employees typically receive compensation through tips or gratuities and employers are permitted to take a “tip credit” to…

December 28, 2020

Employment Law

Deck the Halls (but stay Home) this Holiday Season

The 2020 holiday season is fast approaching. By one recent estimate, nearly 40% of Americans are planning to travel for the holidays, many to visit with family, friends, and loved ones for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet there are some parts of the U.S., especially the mid-west and south,…

November 3, 2020

Employment Law

The IRS Chief Counsel’s Informal Guidance Clarifies Some Issues Left Open after Notice 2020-65 Regarding the “Payroll Tax Holiday”

In addition to Notice 2020-65 and Instructions to Form 941 which we outlined in our recent blog, the IRS Office of Chief Counsel for employee benefits, exempt organizations and employment tax provided informal but insightful guidance on its monthly IRS payroll industry call held on September 3, 2020. The informal guidance was directed in part…

October 14, 2020

Business and Financial Services

The IRS Chief Counsel’s Informal Guidance Clarifies Some Issues Left Open after Notice 2020-65 Regarding the “Payroll Tax Holiday”

IRS Office of Chief Counsel monthly payroll industry call on September 3, 2020 In addition to Notice 2020-65 and Instructions to Form 941 which we outlined in our recent blog, the IRS Office of Chief Counsel for employee benefits, exempt organizations and employment tax provided informal but insightful guidance on its monthly IRS payroll industry…

October 14, 2020